Property, plant and equipment consist of the following:

 

December 31,  2024   2023 
           
Land and improvements  $2,826   $2,826 
Buildings and improvements   76,153    74,650 
Machinery and equipment   333,365    322,730 
Dies and tools   65,278    62,191 
Property, plant and equipment   477,622    462,397 
Less allowances for depreciation   (406,373)   (390,863)
Net property, plant and equipment  $71,249   $71,534 

About PP&E Disclosures

The PP&E disclosure details a company's physical asset base — land, buildings, machinery, and equipment — along with the depreciation methods and useful life assumptions that determine how these costs flow through the income statement. Capitalization policy thresholds reveal management's judgment on the boundary between expense and asset, directly affecting both reported earnings and asset values.

Key signals: changes in estimated useful lives or depreciation methods can materially shift reported earnings without any operational change. Compare capital expenditures against depreciation expense — when capex consistently trails depreciation, the asset base may be aging and underinvested. Watch for large asset impairments or write-downs that signal overvalued carrying amounts. Asset retirement obligations reveal future environmental or decommissioning costs that are often underappreciated. Compare PP&E intensity (PP&E-to-revenue) against industry peers to assess capital efficiency and competitive positioning.